Immersive storytelling through video show and AR lens as part of Axel Springer’s global partnership with Snap Inc. / New format presents the players of the Germany national soccer team in an innovative way / Collaboration with BILD and SPORT BILD
At the onset of the European Championship in Germany, the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology has developed an interactive augmented reality format for Snapchat in collaboration with Snap Inc., BILD and SPORT BILD. This initiative aims to engage particularly young people and stir excitement for the upcoming tournament. The new format “home matches – in the footsteps of our European Championship heroes” was created as part of the global partnership between Axel Springer and Snap Inc., which focuses on preparing a new generation of media professionals for the challenges and opportunities of the digital world and on developing innovative storytelling formats.
The five-part video show on Snapchat portrays players from the national team who will be competing at the European Championship, by offering glimpses into their lives off the pitch as well as exploring where they began their careers and what it takes to reach the pinnacle of German soccer. For this project, students from the Axel Springer Academy traveled across Germany to speak with former coaches, mentors, and friends of the featured players. They were supported by experienced editors from the Sports Competence Center of the BILD Group and WELT Group.
The project adds a layer of storytelling through a specially developed augmented reality lens, allowing users to learn more about each player. Utilizing Snap’s AR technology, users can swipe to shoot at a goal wall in BILD’s iconic design to answer quiz questions. Additionally, BILD articles about the players and hints for the questions are displayed. Correct answers enable users to project their faces onto a football trading card via AR and send it to their friends. The design of the trading card is inspired by the new digital NFT-collection “Sammel Dein Team“ (“Collect Your Team“) of BILD, Transfermarkt and TorAlarm.
Steven Plöger, Head of Immersive News at the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology: “AR storytelling has become an integral part of the journalistic skillset at the Academy, also thanks to our partnership with Snap. It is impressive to witness the creative ways our teams of journalists and technology experts make their research come alive.”
Kahlen Macaulay, Head of Media & Sports Partnerships at Snap Inc.: “70 percent of our 15 million monthly active German Snapchatters are deeply engaged in sports. We are pleased that the students of the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology are offering our community exciting insights into the current German squad with exclusive content and AR experiences.”
The five episodes will be published successively on the Snapchat accounts of BILD Fußball and Stammplatz, starting June 13, 6 PM.
The interdisciplinary project was developed by journalism and tech students at the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology. Within the framework of the curriculum and through collaboration with Snap Inc., they are taught the fundamentals of AR storytelling and AR production. Several projects have already emerged from this cooperation, including “Jobjektiv”, a project in collaboration with WELT and The Stepstone Group focusing on careers, and “It’s Kosher Habibi”, which explores friendships between Jews and Muslims and was honored with the “European Newspaper Award” in the category of “Multimedia Storytelling” in 2023.
About the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology
Established in October 2020, the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology combines a school of journalism and an innovative program for tech talents, employee upskilling as well as a co-creation area for interdisciplinary partnerships with tech companies. For further information, please visit axelspringeracademy.com/en